mercredi 30 juillet 2008

You might know this house built in Santiago de Chile in 2007 by FAR Frohn & Rojas Office (Santiago, Mexico, Köln). I guess a lot of people like it a lot (actually I do) but no matter how much we like it, this architecture office just turned crazy ! In fact, they just created a website called yourwallhouse.net which proposes to sell you three different sets of drawings in order to have exactly the same house constructed any where in the world.As written:

01 Schematic drawing setThis schematic drawing set contains nine 11”x17” / A3 drawings as pdf files. This includes the actual floor plans, foundation plan, roof plan and sections used by our office in the Schematic Design phase. Due to differences in building codes and other varying local legal constraints, these plans may have to be modified to meet – amongst other aspects - the local building design requirements for wind loads, snow loads, bearing soil pressures and seismic requirements in your area. Under international copyright law these plans cannot be copied and resold to others. You are granted the right to use these plans to construct a single unit. See Terms and Conditions. This option is ideal if you wish to work together with a local architect and builder/contractor, using the document set as a general point of departure for design and construction. This option gives you and/or your local design professionals room for alterations or new design input, material changes to suit local climate differences, etc., in addition to any local requirements, such as included in local building code, or other changes which may need to be implemented or altered.1499 euros

02 Detailed drawing setDetailed drawing set of the Wall House project, including the right to use the plans to construct a single unit. This detailed drawing set contains 30 11”x17” / A3 drawings as pdf files. In addition to the actual plans and sections developed by our office as schematic documents this set shows key construction details. Due to differences in building codes and other varying local legal constraints these plans may have to be modified to meet – amongst other aspects - the local building design requirements for wind loads, snow loads, bearing soil pressures and seismic requirements in your area. Under international copyright law these plans cannot be copied and resold to others. You are granted the right to use these plans to construct a single unit. See Terms and Conditions. This option offers a greatly detailed technical basis for the actual construction of the house, for use by a local builder/contractor. The details might, however, have to be adjusted based on local requirements such as local building code, or other changes, which may need to be implemented. Contracting of a local architect and/or structural engineer might be necessary and is recommended.4999 euros

03 Detailed drawing set with Custum climate conceptDetailed drawing set of the Wall House project together with climate simulation for the location of your choice with recommendations and custom material specifications. The set also includes the right to use the plans to construct a single unit. This detailed drawing set with custom climate concept contains 30 11”x17” / A3 architectural drawings as pdf files. In addition to the actual plans and sections developed by our office as schematic documents this set shows key construction details. Additionally the set contains documentation of climate simulation and list of recommendations and custom material specifications in the form of a pdf file. The climate simulation is being developed specifically for your proposed location for the Wall House by Integral Ingenieure, Aachen, Germany. Due to differences in building codes and other varying local legal constraints these plans may have to be modified to meet – amongst other aspects - the local building design requirements for wind loads, snow loads, bearing soil pressures and seismic requirements in your area. Under international copyright law these plans cannot be copied and resold to others. You are granted the right to use these plans to construct a single unit. See Terms and Conditions. This option offers a greatly detailed technical basis for the actual construction of the house, for use by a local builder/contractor. The details might, however, have to be adjusted based on local requirements such as local building code, or other changes, which may need to be implemented. Contracting of a local architect and/or structural engineer might be necessary and is recommended. This option is recommended for those who want their Wall House adapt to their specific local climate conditions. This option contains concrete material suggestions for you, as studied and suggested by our collaborating climate engineering firm Integral Ingenieure.7999 euros

This is a total violation of code of ethics and this sentence "This option is recommended for those who want their Wall House adapt to their specific local climate conditions" is really representative of how a lot of architects are using sustainability as a commercial logo without really caring for it. I sent an email to them to give them a chance to explain and it could have been interested to discuss about it (esspecially if they are completely broke), but they even did not answer it.

mardi 29 juillet 2008

Hussein Chalayan last 2008 collection contains a set of laser dress as impressive as usual (see older post). Red lasers are rotating and reflecting on cristals. Chalayan is still the only designer I know who is constantly looking for linking fashion and technology and therefore, to some extent to mix human body and technology (if someone knows another one, comments are open !).

Here is a video where you can see the entire collection but if you are only interested by these technologies dress go directly to the 8th minute.

After visiting Le Havre, I felt obliged to go to Le Raincy (Seine Saint Denis - Paris' suburbs) in order to see Notre Dame de la Consolation Church also designed by Auguste Perret and his two brothers Gustave and Claude, fifty years before the incredible Saint Claude Church in Le Havre (see older post). In fact Notre Dame du Raincy was constructed in 1922 in order to represent an homage to La Marne Battle's (1916) casualties. It was by then the first religious building designed by Perret's office and in order to make the construction happen, the office even had to put some money into it !Thanks to the slightly conic posts, facades are not structural and are allowed to receive Marguerite Huré's (same than in Saint Joseph) stained glass. Ceiling crowns are very unusal and structuraly rational.It definitely worth it to cover the 20km between Paris and Le Raincy to visit it !

dimanche 27 juillet 2008

In september and october 2006 was voted the Secure Fence Act by the US Congrete and Senate which "allows for over 700 miles of double-reinforced fence to be built across cities and deserts alike between California and Texas in areas that have been prone to illegal drug trafficking and illegal immigration. It authorizes the installation of more lighting, vehicle barriers, and border checkpoints, while putting in place more advanced equipment like sensors, cameras, satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles in an attempt to watch and control illegal immigration into the United States. Officials say that it will help cut down on the number of illegal vehicles that go back and forth across the border bringing illegal drugs." (White House communication)

How crazy it is to observe that a wall is just a line on a map but what is resulting from this line are the most consequential political decisions acting on life of thousand of people. I could have put some more pictures of Berlin Wall, Cisjordan Wall or the Indian-Kashmir Wall, but I think that this "line effect" can be also observed on smaller scales, and architects have to be deeply aware of it.

vendredi 25 juillet 2008

As said on The Brown Corporation's website, Shit Box is a lightweight portable cardboard toilet, made specifically for outdoor use. The box pops up from a convenient 14 inch flat pack to a rigid, reusable, comfortable toilet. Each box comes with ten degradables poo bags.

I just finish reading Mikes Davis' Planet of Slums who analyses in a chapter the "shit impact" and I'm thinking that the Shit Box could be some kind of solution...

jeudi 24 juillet 2008

Yesterday, I went to Le Havre in order to make a little photographic reportage within the city which was reconstructed after allied bombings in 1944. At this time Le Havre could be assimilated as the French Coventry and 10 000 new housing had to be built in ten years. Auguste Perret, who was already 71 years old, was appointed as Chief Architect of the Reconstruction and his office designed all the buildings which are now Le Havre downtown. In order to be efficient, every single architectural element's dimensions were according to a 6.24 metres weft. Thus, every buildings are 2x6.24m wide, every post is separated to another one by 6.24m, every window is 6.24/6m etc.In addition of that, Perret wanted to build an huge concrete layer 3.50 metres above ground and to "lay" all the city on it because of the boggy land. Thus, all the technical facilities (water, electricity, telephone, car parks etc.) would have been put under this layer. Unfortunetly, it wasn't accepted by Le Havre's Authority.

Here is Saint Joseph Church, also designed by Perret and it is one of the crazyiest building I have ever visited. Thanks to Marguerite Huré's stained glasses and Perret's monumental concrete, I really felt like I was playing in Blade Runner !!! Unfortunetly my pictures can't really make you figure out but it's really really amazing !

The other very famous architect who worked in Le Havre is Oscar Niemeyer. Here is his building in the very centre of the city, some kind of kilimanjaro let down in Normandy ! It's called the Vulcano (you can't make it up !) and I didn't get the chance to visit it (every thing was closed for vacation) but the exterior surface is really fascinating ! Another superb concrete landscape in the city's core. Look at the styly gutters around the doors !